Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Quiet Minnesota Town in 1905

Starting point is 00:00:00 Get Sleepy is a production of Slumber Studios and is made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and premium members. If you'd like to listen ad free and access weekly bonus episodes, extra long stories and our entire back catalogue, you can try out premium free for 7 days by following the link in the episode notes. Now, a quick word from our sponsors. This episode is brought to you by Adidas. When the frustration grows and the doubts start to creep in, we all need someone who has our back. To tell us we'll be okay,

Starting point is 00:00:37 to remind us of our ability to believe, because their belief in us transfers to self-belief and reminds us of all that we're capable of. We all need someone to make us believe. Hashtag, you got this. Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. As always, my name's Thomas and I'm your host. In tonight's Sleepy Tale, we'll travel back in time to the turn of the last century. We'll

Starting point is 00:01:17 take a look at life in a small town in Minnesota at the dawn of the 1900s. It was beautifully written by Layla and will be read by TK. If you'd love more content from Get Sleepy and the very best listening experience, be sure to check out our member subscription, Get Sleepy Premium. Tomorrow night in our weekly premium exclusive episode, join me as I read a sleepy adaptation of an old Spanish fairy tale about a young man who ventures into the forest in search of a missing princess. To find out more about all the perks of being a Get Sleepy Premium member, like ad-free listening, early access to episodes, discount on merchandise and plenty more, just visit

Starting point is 00:02:17 the link in the description. Thank you so much for your support. Now my friends, to prepare for our story, take a moment to let the modern world slip away. Close your eyes and allow your mind to travel away, leaving behind the busyness of the day, knowing there's nothing more you need to do or that you can do to contribute towards the day. The best thing you can focus on now for yourself and anyone who relies on you is to relax and rest. Let your mind travel away, further and further, from any sounds of traffic or any activity around you. Your imagination can act as a portal to another world, another time.

Starting point is 00:03:51 Breathe deeply, enjoying the tranquility of the exhale as you let go of any tension or stress. And with each breath, imagine a quieter life. One where night was the moonlight and the stars, where chills were warded off by wood burning stoves and thick clothing. A life that never moved faster than a horse-drawn cart. And now, let's venture there to a sunny morning in 1905 on the edge of a town in the American Midwest. This is where our story begins. Huge leafy trees shaded unpaved roads. Rambling wooden houses stood here and there along the streets. Horses waited patiently in front of a couple of the houses, their tails swishing gently now and then, stirring the warm late summer air. The horses were waiting patiently in front of the houses, Their tails swishing gently now and then, stirring the warm late summer air.

Starting point is 00:06:13 Flies buzzed gently, and filtered sunlight dappled the dirt road, like speckles on a horse's back. It was mid-morning on a Monday, in early September 1905. The streets of this Minnesota town were quiet for now, but later they'd be bustling with The town itself stretched out along a wide river, much like a cat. The town was a little bit more than a town, but it was a little bit more than a town. The town was a little bit more than a town. The town was a little along a wide river, much like a cat stretching out along a sidewalk on a sunny day. years before. This had been wilderness, and the area around town was still largely undeveloped.

Starting point is 00:07:33 But in the few decades since its founding, the little outpost had grown into a thriving county seat. It had a train station, a growing population, and all the various shops and businesses needed to support that population. There was even a grand hotel and theater, including a new stylish restaurant in the hotel, whose windows looked out over the river. This street, though, with its smattering of rambling wooden houses, separated by open lots, was a good twenty-minute walk from the Grand Hotel and the town center. This street was on the edge of town, with nothing but wildflower-covered hillsides beyond. A woman stepped out of a kitchen door.

Starting point is 00:08:52 She had a baby balanced on one hip, and she carried a pan of used dishwater, which she dipped into the dirt. The woman squinted down the empty street a moment before moving back into the shade of the house. After a time a whistle blew. It was a shrill sound that carried all the way from the mill downtown, beside the blue waters of the river. The whistle marked twelve noon. It signaled that it was time for a lunch break for the workers. And a lunch break for the school children as well. Soon after the whistle pierced the still air, the sound of running feet pattered down the street. pattered down the street. Children rounded the corner, coming from the direction of the schoolhouse.

Starting point is 00:10:13 They wore old-fashioned clothing. The girls wore in dresses with ribbons in their hair. Long black socks peeked out above scuffed leather shoes. Older children carried school books in their arms, some with a strap secured around them to keep them together. secured around them to keep them together. School had only recently started up after the long summer break. The children's faces still showed the signs of summertime. A pair of children stopped in front of a yellow house at the end of the street. They leaned over a water pump in the side yard and began to pump up water from an underground

Starting point is 00:11:19 well. Spray spurted from the faucet as they pumped, the drops sparkling in the noontime sun. They held their hands cupped under the stream of water, then ducked their heads and splashed the water over their faces. They scrubbed the dust of the road from their faces and hands, then shook their hands dry. They walked up a few steps to bang through the screen door of the house, yelling greetings to their mother. A woman in a long skirt and a checked apron greeted them, wiping her hands on the apron. She set down bowls in front of them which held their lunch, although she referred to it as dinner in the local tradition of the time.

Starting point is 00:12:34 The mother and children ate together, and the children chattered about their morning at school as they ate. their morning at school as they ate. They talked about their lessons in reading, writing, and arithmetic. They told about the games they played on the schoolyard. When the simple meal was done, the children started to gather their books to head back out the door. Their mother stopped them with a gentle reminder to wash their dishes. So they set down their school things and took up the lunch dishes. These were porcelain bowls, hand-painted with local wildflowers by a neighbor.

Starting point is 00:13:43 Hand-painting China was a hobby for some ladies of the community. There ensued a brief, affable squabble over whose turn it was to wash the dishes and whose turn to dry them. But it was quickly settled and the two children got down to work. Their chore was soon done. And then, with shouted goodbyes, they scooted off towards school. Dust rose from the street as they went, joining a stream of returning students.

Starting point is 00:14:32 And then the streets were quiet again. The only sign of the recent burst of activity was the settling dust which circled lazily in the tilting shafts of sunlight that shone between the green leaves of the trees. The flecks of dust drifted, drifted, drifted. Before settling down again on the packed gray-brown dirt of the little road. And then the streets were truly still, apart from a breath of air that stirred the leaves on the trees now and again. Slowly the light from the sun changed.

Starting point is 00:15:39 It grew richer and deeper, its morning brightness mellowing into afternoon light, tinged with a hint of gold. The woman emerged from the yellow house then. Her checked apron was gone now. Her checked apron was gone now. It had been replaced by a crisp white blouse with a high neck and long sleeves, despite the warmth of the day. Delicate embroidery adorned the cuffs and collar of the blouse. It was tucked into long skirts that swished around brown leather boots with buttons.

Starting point is 00:16:38 The woman's hair was swept up into a loose mass on top of her head, with a wide hat pinned securely above. A spray of dried flowers adorned one side of the hat, which was tilted forward at a stylish angle. The woman held a card case in one hand. She turned and set out briskly down the street in the direction the school children had stampeded some time before. She looked as though she were headed out to pay afternoon calls on other ladies of the neighborhood. And, sure enough, she turned a corner onto the next street, where she could just be glimpsed, traipsing up a walkway to a large white house with a tower on one corner.

Starting point is 00:17:53 She knocked. The door opened, and she disappeared inside. In the days before telephones, people had to visit neighbors and friends in person when they wanted to exchange information or pass the time. Visiting someone at their home was known as paying a call or calling on the person. And to avoid dropping in on each other at inopportune moments, people in Europe and the United States developed a carefully prescribed set of social rules for paying calls. The accepted rules for calling on someone in 1905 in this Minnesota town were roughly as follows. Ladies made and accepted calls in the afternoons. They would complete household chores in the morning.

Starting point is 00:19:10 Then they would change and freshen up before either going out to make calls or staying at home, ready to receive any callers who appeared. Sometimes ladies even had specific days when they accepted afternoon calls, while other days they went out to call on others. They carried calling cards, printed with their names, precursors of today's business cards. This tradition apparently began in France during the 18th century, during the 18th century and quickly spread across Europe and to the Americas. If the person being called upon wasn't home,

Starting point is 00:20:19 the visitor would leave one or more cards to show they'd been there. The number of cards they left conveyed a message. For example, different numbers of cards might indicate a wish to call on different members of the household, or invite a return visit from certain household members. If the person was at home, on the other hand, more traditions kicked in. Calls were generally supposed to be short, and there were specific protocols about how long to stay, and who should leave first if there were multiple callers. And then there were further expectations after the call.

Starting point is 00:21:21 The recipient of a visit should later return the courtesy by calling on the visitor in their home within a certain period of time and so on. Sure enough, the woman in the crisp blouse emerged from the White House with the tower some twenty minutes later, as prescribed by the social conventions. She turned towards her home and walked back up the gentle slope to her own yellow house. She was there by the time distant voices and running feet announced that school was now out for the day. She was seated in the shade of her front porch,

Starting point is 00:22:21 embroidery in her lap, when the children appeared, on her cheeks as they flew in the door of the little house. The screen door banged gently closed behind them. The children were left alone in the house, and the children were left alone in the house. The children were left alone in the house, and the children were left alone in the door of the little house. The screen door banged gently closed behind them.

Starting point is 00:22:51 The kids formed a knot for a moment of animated discussion. Then they spread out again, drifting into teams for a game of Red Rover, Red Rover. The two teams linked hands, and then one team called for a player from the other team to come over. The child hurdled forward, attempting to crash through the linked hands. The line held firm though, and he wasn't able to break through. So, following the rules of the game, he joined forces with that team. The next player to cross, an older girl, managed to break through the opposing human chain. The game went on for some time before dissolving into a new game,

Starting point is 00:24:06 Kick the Can. This was followed by Pom-Pom Pullaway and a selection of other playground games. But soon, mothers were calling from doorways. Supper was ready. The children scampered off in the direction of their various doorways. A few rounded corners headed for homes a block or two away. The children of the yellow house washed up at the pump again, then ran in once more through the screen door.

Starting point is 00:24:57 Their mother was no longer doing embroidery on the porch. She stood at a cast iron stove in a small kitchen. A wood fire inside the stove heated its cooking surface where a large pan sizzled. Inside the pan, potatoes were frying, giving off an inviting smell. At that moment, a tall man in a dark stylish accessory, rather than a walking aid. The man turned in at the yellow house. The moment he walked in the door, the children flocked to him. They flung their arms around him and showered him with kisses. Their mother was not far behind, untying her apron as she came to greet him.

Starting point is 00:26:22 The evening greetings over. All the families sat down round the little table in the kitchen. It was set with a pretty flowered cloth and the painted china plates. A gas lamp lit the shadows in the kitchen with a cozy light. The smell of fried potatoes filled the roomuated by questions and comments from their parents. The father shared stories from his work in a store downtown and news from her visit as well, and reminded the children of upcoming assignments for school. When the simple evening meal was done, the children again helped with the washing up, and then they dashed back outside once more to play until dark. A slightly smaller crowd assembled in the street now.

Starting point is 00:27:59 Some of the older children had stayed inside to learn their school lessons, practice piano, or help with chores. Children had stayed inside to learn their school lessons, practice piano, or help with chores. But there were still a good number of kids outside. Plenty to pull together another round of games in the street, which was growing cooler with the approaching dusk. The sun was falling behind the hills now, and the shadows of the trees and houses were lengthening and growing darker. Still, the children played on, their laughter and voices floating through the early evening air and surrounding the quiet houses with joyful noise. But at last, evening began to turn into night.

Starting point is 00:29:09 A first star appeared in the sky, and then a second, fainter, but just barely visible in the deepening blue. visible in the deepening blue. And soon small voices rang out with the old rhyme, Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might. Have the wish I wish tonight." The children were quiet for a moment, wishing. There were wishes for new dolls and toy carts, for luck in games of marbles and speed in races. There were wishes for young love reciprocated, and for success in goals dear to young hearts.

Starting point is 00:30:23 And then the children began to drift off again. They called out goodbyes and voices a little more hushed, yet which carried in the still night air. The sky turned midnight blue and purple, and the stars appeared in earnest then, sparkling across the sky like a sack of diamonds spilled over dark velvet. The two children went into the yellow house. They moved just a little slower now, showing a hint of tiredness from all the day's exertions. Inside they climbed a steep wooden staircase

Starting point is 00:31:35 from the kitchen to the second story of the house. This upstairs story consisted of two connecting rooms under the roof. The ceilings of these rooms were low and sloped, giving them a cozy feeling. Beds with tall bed posts painted white stood in both rooms. The beds were spread with colorful quilts. The second room featured a window that peered out over the street below. There was a tree outside the window. Its leaves moved peacefully, almost hypnotically, in the slightly stirring air. A dollhouse was tucked against the wall in that room, and there were two ragdolls neatly

Starting point is 00:32:51 arranged on a small trunk. It was to this room that the tired children came now. They pulled on nightgowns. Then they hopped into the bed, pulling the quilt snug around them. In a moment, the mother and father appeared, carrying a gas lamp to dispel the shadows. They both kissed the children good night. The mother lingered a moment for a few last words with her children. And she left, softly of the day dancing in their minds.

Starting point is 00:34:10 They thought of the morning and what the next day would bring. They listened to the soft rustling of the tree outside the window and breathed the cool night air. And little by little their breathing slowed and fell into a gentle rhythm. a gentle rhythm, and soon they were drifting off to sleep into the land of dreams that would carry them through the morning. you You You You You You You You You You Music

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Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Quiet Minnesota Town in 1905

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